Stoker ram



July 22 1924.

G. W. RUGGLES STOKEJR RAM Fll q Nev.- 25, L929 Patented July 22, 1924.

UNlTED STATES GILBERT WAYNE RUGGLES, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

STOKER RAM.

Application filed November 26, 1920. Serial No. 426,341.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT WAYNE RUG- enns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Youngstown, county of Ma:- honing, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvementi in Stoker Rams, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

M invention consists of an apparatus for feeding or ramming material, which is so constructed as to be protected a ainst breaking pressure. More particular y, it comprises a stoker ram for furnace feeding having a main ram and an auxiliary ram so associated that when excessively hard or compacted material is encountered a connecting piece will fail or fracture and release the large or main ram from the driving connections, without interfering with the continued operation of the smaller auxiliary ram which thereafter serves to relieve the conditions causing such fracture.

Heretofore, apparatus of this character has been injured when foreign matter in the material being fed has been encountered, or, when safety means has been provided the entire ramming apparatus has been released from operation.

Among the objects of my invention are the provision of improved means for relieving the apparatus from dangerous strains or breakage, due to excessive pressure, the provision of an auxiliary device which may continue to operate after the main com= pressing or feeding element has been released, and the provision of a novel construction of safety means for apparatus of this character. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said inven tion, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the manner in which my improved ram mechanism may be applied to a furnace having a fuel hopper feeding to an inclined ate; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verti cal section showing the details of the ram or feeding structure of my device; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts enclosed within the main ram illustrated in Fig. 2, the main ram walls being shown in section; Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section along the line 44 shown in Fig. 2, looking inthe direction of the arrows; and Fig. 5 is an end view of the outwardly facing portion of the ram.

As is shown in Fig. 1, the ram mechanism 1 is interposed between the hopper 2 and the inclined grate 3 of a furnace, the front wall 4 of which is indicated in the drawing. Obviously, its position with respect'to furnaces or apparatus of other construction could be varied as desired. The details of the ram structure are more clearly shown .in Figs. 2 and 3. The main ram 5 comprises a hollow cylindrical member 6 provided with a wall 7 at one end and with an inner annular shoulder 8 near its other end. The shoulder is formed by making the rearward diameter of the ram cylinder slightly larger than the main portion thereof. Adjacent the shoulder upon the inner portion of said cylinder a plurality of integral lugs 9 are provided which are a ertured to receive the screw threaded en s of bolts 10. The end wall of the main ram cylinder is formed with an aperture 11 preferably in a position slightly below its center and for the greater portion of its lower longitudinal central ext'ent has a slot 12 for a purpose hereinafter to be explained. A slot 13 of less extent is also formed in the upper wall of the cylinder. A pair of half heads 14 of a vertical diameter approximately equal to the largest diameter of the cylinder are secured against the annular shoulder 8 heretofore mentioned by means of a plurality of bolts which engage the lugs 9 heretofore described. As is shown in Fig. 5, the pair of half heads 14: are spaced from each other centrally to 3.1

low free passage for the operating arm of a Eachlever described in detail hereinafter. of the half heads is provided near its up-' per central inner edge with a rearwardly extending projection 15. The n per end of each of said projections is note ed to provide a horizontal supporting face 16 and a vertical rearwardly facing shoulder 17 thereon. Within the cylinder adjacent its side portions are provided two slide rods 18, the ends of which are of reduced diameter and seated Within apertures 19 in the front wall of the cylinder, while the rear ends thereof are seated in apertures 20 within the respective half heads. A cross head 21. of irregular formation is positioned centrally of the cylinder and carries on a vertical face 22 at its inner end an auxilary ram 23, the front end of which passes through the aperture 11 in the front wall of the cylinder and extends slightly therebeyond.

The ram body proper may be connected to the cross head 21 by means of an aperture and a swaged or upset end 24, as is shown in Fig. 2. The rearward portion of the cross head has a vertical slot 25 on its under side and centrally of the two walls 26 thus provided, a pair of aligned bearings 27 are formed. The upperface of the cross head 21 is provided with a channel-way 28 extending longitudinally of the central upper portion and has an enlargement 29 at its forward end so as to provide for engagement with a link member 34 having a 'Fshaped head on each end, described in detail hereinafter. At each side of the cross head 2]. a grooved lug 30 is provided, of a size to slidingly engage the slide rods heretofore described. Within the bearings provided in the cross head 21 a pivot pin 31 is positioned. An operating member or crank pin 32 upon a drive shaft positioned adjacent the ram has pivoted thereto a bell-crank lever 33,

which extends within the cylinder and has its angle part journaled upon the pin 31 in the cross head. The slots 12 and 13 in the cylinder permit the free motion of the bellcrank lever 33, the lower end of which oper- 1 ates other mechanism.

auxiliary ram and the head 36 of the rearward portion as of a size sufficient to bridge the space between the half heads and engage with the vertical shoulders provided on the projections on said half heads. As shown in Fig. 3, the link is provided with an aperture 40 near the head 36, in order to have the failure of the link occur at this point where the parts are more accessible for removal and replacement. The size of the aperture may be varied so as to have the link fail under any desired amount of tension. i I The operation of the device is as follows The entire ram assembly is reciprocated by means of the bell-crank lever and intermittently comes into contact with the fuel fed through the hopper .gate, and forces it upon the inclined grate. The contact end of the ram assembly, by reason of the inside or auxiliary ram extending through and projecting slightly from the wall portion of the main ram, presents an irregular surface designed to leave a depression in the fuel in front of the ram. Should foreign matter be encountered in the material operated upon, or an excessive degree of pressure caused for any other reason, the link member will fail because of it special construction. Inasmuch as the link is the only driving connection between the main ram and the auxiliary ram during the forward or feeding movement, the main ram will thus be released from the operating means while the auxiliary ram will continue to be reciprocated sliding on the rods provided within the main ram cylinder. It will be understood that the return movement of the main ram is effected in any case by the direct engagement of the reciprocatory head 21 with the so-called half heads l-l fixedly secured in the rear portion of said main ram; in other words, the frangible link 34 is not necessarily or desirably used in such return movement. The auxiliary ram being of smaller diameter than the main ram, it will be able to dislodge the material packed before it and in a measure will continue to supply fuel to "the grate until such time as the link can be reand push the material to be fed, means for reciprocating one of said members, and means interconnecting said members so as to render same conjointly operable, said means permitting one of said ll'ltll'llltl'S to become inoperative under abnormal conditions.

2. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to engage with and push the material to be fed. such operative face of one member being of considerably smaller area than that of the other. means for reciprocating the member having the face of smaller area, and means interconnecting said members so as to render same conjointly operable. said means permitting the member having the face of larg- 1,5oa12a er area to become inoperative under abnormal conditions. I

3. In an apparatus for feedingmaterial, the combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to-engage with and push the material to be fed, means directly connected with one of said members for reciprocating the same, and a frangible element operatively interconnecting said members so as to render the same normally conjointly operable.

4. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to engage with and push the material to be fed, means directly connected withone of said members for reciprocating the same, and a frangible element operatively interconnecting said members so as to render the same normally conjointly operable, said element being arranged and constructed so as to be under tension during the feeding movement of said members.

5. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to engage with and push the material to be fed, such operative face of one member being of considerably smaller area than that of the other, means directly connected with one of said members for reciprocating same, and a frangible link operatively interconnecting said members, said link being arranged and constructed so as to be unde tension during the feeding movement of said members,

6. In an apparatus for feeding material, the. combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to engage with and push the material to be fed, such operative face of one member being of considerably smaller area than that of the other, means directly connected with one of said members for reciprocating same, and a detachable frangible link operatively connecting with said members, said link being arranged and constructed so as to be under tension during the feeding movement of said members.

7. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of two ram members having contiguous faces adapted to engage with and push the material to be fed, such operative face of one member being of considerably smaller area than that of the other, and said members being formed with recesses, means directly connected with one of said members for reciprocating same, and a frangible link formed with enlarged ends det'achably engagiaig such recesses.

8. A stoker ram apparatus comprising a guide-way, a main rain reciprocable therein, said main ram being formed of a hollow member provided with an apertured wall at its forward end, an auxiliary ram having its forward end extending through such aperture in said main ram, and a frangible driving connection between said main ram and said auxiliary ram, upon failure of which, said auxiliary ram is permitted to operate through such aperture 1n such main ram.

9. A stoker ram apparatus comprising a guide-way, a main ram reciprocable therein, said main rain being formed of a hollow member provided with an apertured wall at its forward end and with longitudinally extending internal guides, an auxiliary ram supported on said guides and having its forward end extending through such aperture in said main ram, and a frangible" drivin connection between said main ram and said auxiliary ram, uponfailure of which, said auxiliary ram 1s permitted to operate through such aperture in such main ram.

10. A stoker ram apparatus comprising a guide-Way, a main ram reciprocable therein, said main ram being formed of a hollow member provided with an apertured wall at its forward end, parallel slide rods within said member and a fixed head near the rear end thereof, an auxiliary ram supported on said slide rods and having its forward end extending through such aperture in said main ram, said auxiliary ram being adapted to engage with said fixed head in said main ram to retract the same, and a frangible driving connection between said main ram and said auxiliar ram for advancingthe former, said auxi iaryeram being permitted to operate through the opening in the wall of said main ram upon failure of such connection.

11. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of a ram member, a reciprocatory cross-head within said member,

said cross-head being adapted directly to engage with said member to retract same; and a frangible element interconnecting said member and cross-head, said element being arranged so as to be under tension during the feeding movement of said member and constructed to break under a predetermined strain.

12. In an apparatus for feeding material, the combination of a ram member, a reciprocatory cross-head within said member, said cross-head being adapted directly to engage with said' member to retract same and said cross-head and member bein formed with recesses, and a frangible lin formed with enlarged ends detachably engaging such recesses, said link being arranged so as to be under tension during the feeding movement of said member and be ing constructed so as to break under a predetermined strain. 3

Signed by me, this 22nd day of November, 1920.

GILBERT WAYNE RUGGLES 

